Quote:
Originally Posted by LoathsomePete
When I was taking a couple of anthropology courses in college my professor tried really hard to instill the idea of staying away from ethnocentric viewpoints. I honestly don't know if this applies in this case, I don't know enough about Uganda's culture to say one way or the other, but this has definitely been exacerbated by western religious influence, so I guess it kind of makes it fair game. It could certainly be raised as a point to cut off funding from other nations, but it does bug me that people who rely on it won't be able to get it because of something they have no control over. At the end of the day I think f Stone Cold Steve Austin can say this:
Then I think most arguments against are just grasping for straws.
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Pete, my man.
You've covered everything I was going to add to this conversation and more. Top post.
Okay, first off as you've said, Uganda is a completely different culture to us. In their society, in their way of life, they view homosexuality is evil.
A demonic act which should be punishable by death.
There is nothing we can do about the way they feel.
We're asking them to accept gays, to not hate on their way of life by not accepting Ugandans and their beliefs.
What is wrong both morally and consciously to us, is not to them. We live in a society that has finally began to accept minority groups including homosexuals.
Hey, it wasn't so long that ago that the Western World would have acted exactly the same way to homosexuals.
I don't think it's a coincidence that in our evolution to becoming a more tolerant, accepting society we have also become less religious.
The Bible preaches hate as well as love. Look at the Old Testament as God rained his fury down on everyone he cast as sinners.
As we've moved away from fearing religion and become more capable of our own thought, feelings and opinions we can say that condemning homosexuality is wrong.
Uganda haven't experienced the same path of enlightenment we have and are still a very religious country who also heavily practice witchcraft. Those are their beliefs and we must respect that.
Sure, we could slam them as evil. But they're not. They're carrying out what they perceive to be right.
By the same token, they could look at us campaigning for gay marriage as an act of evil. An act of defiance against natural selection and God.
Obviously, I support gay marriage, as I assume everyone on the board does.
Stone Cold Steve Austin said it and all. If two people want to get married, let them get married. Even if you're against homosexuality for whatever reason, surely something that does not affect your life in any way can not harm you, so why oppose it?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that don't be shocked or outraged by what Ugandans are doing. Let them develop, them them learn, it would be a crying shame if we 'westernized' the entire world so that everyone shared the same values and beliefs.
This is what they believe and no matter of internet outrage will change that.
We can only blame ourselves for introducing them to Christianity in the first place.
Give a toddler a gun, and act shocked when it starts shooting people?
Uganda is a developing country, we brought evil in the form of Christianity into their country in an attempt to try and teach them moral values. We handed them a book that preaches hate, and now they're hating.
On a more comical side